Various types of sewing needles have been developed and used throughout history. Hand sewing needles have been used ubiquitously for a variety of tasks, including sewing, altering, hemming, embroidering, darning, or repairing the fabric of a garment or other sewing product. Various improvements have been made to facilitate sewing with needles by hand. Many of these improvements facilitate threading needles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 815,170 discloses a sewing needle with an open eye, which comprises a channel through which thread can be pulled. U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,575 discloses a sewing needle with an eyelet that comprises a clip member to facilitate easy threading of the needle.
There remains, however, a need for a needle that facilitates the production of regular stitches. In most sewing products, stitching must be neat in order for the product to be presentable and to retain its value. A garment that has been sewn with irregular stitches is not presentable and may render the garment unwearable or the product otherwise unusable. For example, a United States military uniform that has been altered with sloppy stitches may cause the uniform to be considered “Out of Service.” Stitches must be regular and neat to be considered professional.
Regular stitches, i.e. stitches that have the same length and spacing, such as those a sewing machine makes, render a garment or other sewing product presentable and ensure a quality appearance. Because not everyone has access to or experience with sewing machines, hand sewing may be required or preferred. In hand sewing, regular stitches can be difficult or impossible for someone without extensive sewing experience to produce.
In view of the foregoing, the need exists for a device that may aid in the creation of stitches with regular length and spacing.